I thoroughly enjoyed this little indie drama. However, given the subject material, perhaps "enjoyed" is the wrong word. The cast: Stewart, Gandolfini, and Leo were all more than believable and often heart wrenching in their roles. Kristen Stewart's portrayal as Mallory is very touching and authentic. She played flighty and wary to perfection and never let Doug (James Gandolfini) or the audience forget that at the root, she is a good person who's been damaged. Gandolfini played the watchful friend of Mallory's and the good influence who's still reconciling with his own personal grief, irritation, and depression with aplomb. Melissa Leo's Lois is amazing with her conveying the character's reaction to the aforementioned grief. The three of them could be a believable and nice little nuclear family had their been different circumstances in the film. All in all, director Jake Scott's second feature set in New Orleans is a sadly overlooked independent film, despite it's debut at the Sundance Film Festival. "Welcome to the Rileys" is not a perfect film and is flawed, but the plot and the acting are not among them.
Review of Welcome to the Rileys
